Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 128 Development can solve all problems

It was around four in the morning when Emperor Hong Bao woke up. He didn't even feel hungry even though he hadn't eaten dinner. He just felt that he hadn't felt this refreshed for a long time.

There was no one around except the guards on duty at the door and his ninth brother who was sleeping like a pig next to him. Emperor Hongbao laughed, put on a robe and stood up. He estimated that he had slept for about six or seven hours. He had forgotten what it felt like to sleep for so long last time. He just felt as if he had not felt so comfortable since he became the crown prince from a prince.

I went outside wearing furry wool slippers and walked around in the bright hall to stretch my muscles. As expected, I felt much more relaxed all over and not as stiff as before.

At this moment, he heard footsteps behind him. When he turned around, he saw several women coming over with cups and cans. The purple-dressed girl in the lead bowed gently and said, "Your Majesty, please eat a little. You have slept for a long time and we dare not disturb you."

"Then put it in that courtyard."

Sitting alone in the small pavilion in the backyard, Emperor Hong Bao felt a little hungry after rinsing his mouth. After picking up the food, he found that they were all exquisite side dishes, which really whetted his appetite.

It was rare to enjoy this kind of solitude and tranquility, so Emperor Hongbao naturally felt comfortable. He turned his head and looked at the mountains in the distance. He saw that the sun was about to break through the clouds, so he curiously asked the woman who was accompanying him, "Is there a place to watch the sunrise?"

"Yes, there is... but it's a bit far. It's about two miles away!"

"Hahahaha! You little girl, you really know how to joke. Lead the way."

An emperor, protected by only a few guards, arrived at the highest point of Fuliang County, the "Cape of Good Hope", in the middle of the night and climbed up the huge rock.

Just at this moment, the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and sprinkled down, and the whole town was shrouded in the morning light. It seemed as if the whole world was in his heart, which made this old man who owned the world feel infinite emotion.

Looking down, I saw the town being shrouded in golden light bit by bit, followed by the rising smoke from every household, and then the chimneys of the workshops and the ships sailing by at the dock. In a trance, it seemed as if the world had come alive.

Taking a deep breath of the air that smelled of burning firewood, Emperor Hongbao stood on the boulder with his hands behind his back, thinking for a long time, and then called out, "Tian Enna."

Seeing no one responding for a long time, he realized that he had come out on a whim, and laughed at himself: "I am old, after all, I am old."

Then he turned around and said to the guards who were accompanying him, "You can go back. You can stay with the girl. Take an old man like me to go around the town as an ordinary person."

He, the emperor, was the most powerful person in the world. The people present were neither censors nor companions, so no one dared to say a word of objection. The guards could only trot back and report the matter.

When the officials woke up, they found that the emperor was gone. They were worried, but they heard that the emperor had gone to the town for a private visit. This made people feel relieved. Tian En looked back at Xia Lin, who nodded and leaned over: "It has been arranged long ago. Even the mice have not left their nests these days."

"Hahahaha, good, good." Tian En pointed at Xia Lin and laughed, "You are such a likable kid. Why don't you follow me into the palace to serve His Majesty, so that I can have a successor."

Xia Lin rolled his eyes and said, "You must be joking, Oban. I'm not good at this age."

"Hahaha..." Tian En took a deep breath after laughing and patted Xia Lin on the shoulder: "I'm going fishing. It's up to you to serve His Majesty in this land."

"Please rest assured, my dear companion, and please rest assured, all the gentlemen." Xia Lin bowed to the officials and said, "Just be happy, and everything in Fuliang County is up to you."

At this moment, Emperor Hongbao was sitting at a small stall eating authentic local snacks. Not only was he eating, he was also chatting with a porter next to him. Without the dragon robe, he became an ordinary person here. This was a freedom he had not enjoyed for many years.

"Old man, you don't know that most of the people here are immigrants. I came here from Nanyang, and I don't want to leave. I plan to save money to buy a house and bring my parents over during the New Year, and then marry a wife and have a child here. By the way, old man, you are from another place, right? Then you must go and see the academy. Our academy is very good. Some time ago, all the students who went out to take the exam from the academy passed. It's a pity that one of them was killed by a madman. It makes me angry just talking about it! But fortunately, our Xia Qingtian is very capable. No matter if you are the son of a high-ranking official or the grandson of someone, he will kill you with one knife!"

Emperor Hongbao nodded: "It's a pity, it makes our Wei Dynasty lose a pillar."

"That's right." The porter finished his noodles in a few mouthfuls and stood up. "Old man, I won't chat with you anymore. They're working over there. Just take your time."

"Goodbye." Emperor Hongbao watched the young man leave with a smile. He had forgotten how many years it had been since he had seen such an energetic person. Without the noisy civil and military officials in the court, instead there were the rough and simple dark faces. Oh, how comfortable it was.

He did not go directly to the academy afterwards, but walked around the "pedestrian street" in the east of the city. Most of the shops here sell clothes, jewelry, decorations and other small items, so girls are especially popular with them. The street is also lively, and the smell of sunshine emanating from young boys and girls is everywhere. As an old man walking on the street, he never stopped smiling. Sometimes, those couples chasing and playing passed by him, and a series of wind chimes would ring in his head. Those teenagers just stood there, as if youth had glanced back at him from afar, like a spring breeze blowing on his face.

The old man bargained with people at the fan stall for a long time and finally bought a sandalwood fan to give to the queen. He also bought 20 fake jade pendants at the fake jade pendant stall. He even divided them up, giving the fake fish to Gao Shilian and the fake tiger to Lao Guo...

After strolling for a long time, he finally came to the outside of the academy. As soon as he went in, he heard the sound of children reading aloud inside, and students practicing the Five Animal Exercises on the training ground outside. Everything was in order.

The gatekeeper was an old man, estimated to be around sixty years old. He sat there drowsily, with a notebook in front of him with "Registration Book" written on it.

Emperor Hongbao knew that these old men were actually brought in by Fuliang specifically to subsidize the widows, widowers, and orphans, so he didn't expect anything from them and stepped over the threshold of the academy and came here.

The statue of Confucius is naturally visible at the entrance, and next to it is the lobby for receiving guests. To reach the students' study and dormitory, one has to pass through three moon gates, which is said to symbolize crossing three mountains to achieve success.

There was a young man in the front hall, copying a book at his desk. Emperor Hongbao came over to take a look and asked curiously, "Young man, what are you doing?"

The young man raised his head and blushed, saying rather embarrassedly, "I skipped classes the day before yesterday to watch His Majesty's dragon boat race and was punished by the teacher to copy the Analects today..."

"Hahaha..." Emperor Hongbao laughed: "You should focus on your studies. By the way, I heard that your studies are free? Is that true?"

"Old man, you are from another place, right? Ehu Academy never charges for studying, even for food. If the family is in financial difficulty and the students are academically excellent, they will be given scholarships. Lord Xia once told us in class that if students are taught from a young age that they cannot do anything without money, then they are not cultivating pillars of society but corrupt officials. He also said that the merit of the academy is not only to impart knowledge, but also to let young men maintain their youthful spirit."

Damn, you’re right!
Emperor Hongbao secretly said in his heart, "Great! Isn't that the case?" But it is impossible for all academies in the world to follow the example of Ehu Academy. Not to mention how much resistance there will be, the consumption of money and grain alone is not something that an ordinary county can afford. Not all the world is as rich as Fuliang.

He sighed helplessly, then stood up and strolled around. Behind the Confucius Palace there was a screen wall with words on it. Emperor Hongbao went forward to take a look and saw that it was written: The sky is blue, the earth is yellow. Even if there are thousands of years, there are eight wildernesses. The future is like the sea, and the future is long. How beautiful is my young China, which will never grow old! How magnificent are my young Chinese, who will never be bounded by the country!

Just these few words can make people's blood boil. Even an old man like him wants to get on his horse and become a teenager again. What a great Chinese youth, with no borders to their country. It really shows the courage to move forward.

As his heart surged, he turned around and asked the boy who was punished to copy, "Do you have the full text?"

"Of course there is. It is a piece of writing called "Young China" written by Master Xia for the academy, which is an article to encourage students."

"Can you bring it to me so I can read it?"

The young man said "oh", stood up and took two steps, then took out a brand new booklet in the hall and handed it to Emperor Hong Bao: "Every new student must receive a booklet when they enter school, and everyone must read it through and recite it."

"Well... let the old man take a look."

Emperor Hongbao sat down on the doorstep. He flipped through the book "On Youthful China" revised by Xia Lin and replaced some of the contents that did not fit the times. But it didn't make any difference. How many years had passed since the Five Barbarians invaded China? Who could forget it?
After reading this article, the first half made Emperor Hongbao sigh and stamp his feet, but the second half made him full of fighting spirit.

"It's strange, how come such a good chapter is only circulated here? It must have been memorized by the whole country, right?"

Thinking of this, Emperor Hongbao put the booklet in his arms, and it was time for dinner before he knew it. The young man who was punished to copy saw that Emperor Hongbao was still sitting there, so he walked over and said, "Old man, it's time for dinner. Why don't you let me take you to eat something? The academy has a rule that if the visitor is over 60 years old, he can stay for a meal to save people from running around."

When Emperor Hongbao heard this, he said, "Oh? This is an interesting rule. Thank you for your trouble."

"Teacher taught us to respect the elderly and respect the elderly of others. There is no need to be polite to the old man."

(End of this chapter)